Lies
by Starry Lites
Summary: Clark kind of neglected to tell Lois something fairly important before the wedding. Now some months into their marriage, the secret out, he needs to convince his wife that she does in fact still love him.


Lois Kent fidgeted with the white gold and diamond ring resting on her left hand. It was a beautiful ring, a solitaire set with vine filigree wrapping all the way around; the pattern, sans diamond, was mirrored on the wedding band. She fidgeted with it frequently.

Six months she'd been wearing the wedding band. They had flown, the best six months of her life; many married couples said that, but Lois knew it was true. Never in her life had she felt so loved, so cared for, so cared _about_. Clark Kent was the dream husband, and she knew it.

Their bedroom window was open a crack, carrying with it the chill of Metropolis February. Goosebumps prickled over her arms and legs, but Lois felt no desire to move away from her seat by the open window. Nothing, not even the freezing temperature outside, felt colder than her heart in that moment.

Superman stood at the foot of their bed, though his posture was not typical. His shoulders frowned and there was no fire burning behind his eyes.

Clark's wedding band matched Lois', though it was twice as thick and lined with a thin stripe of yellow gold.

And there it sat on Superman's left hand.

No words had passed between them in twenty minutes. He was smart enough to know he shouldn't speak, and every thought Lois had included multiple profanities that felt inappropriate for use on a husband.

"Lois," Clark whispered. "Should I have kept it from you? No. Should I have told you ages ago? Yes. Should I have at least told you before the wedding, or when we got engaged? Yes, of course, but the right moment never seemed to come up."

Lois breathed in and out slowly. Even the sound of his voice in that moment made her blood boil. It was the same voice that had brought so much comfort hundreds of times before, but how could it now? "How is it possible during all that time that the right moment never 'came up?' And what made you think Valentine's Day was a good day?"

Clark shrugged. "I was kind of hoping I'd get a little slack if I was romantic enough."

Lois rolled her eyes and finally moved away from the window. "Should have thought about that before you sprang it on me, Smallville. The romance got swallowed up in a vacuum of red and blue." She waved her hand in the general direction of his suit and swept from the bedroom.

A twitch was growing at her temple, and Lois leaned on the kitchen counter to rub it away. Clark followed, though she didn't hear him; he probably hovered. "Do you remember the moment you stopped loving Superman?"

***

Lois danced her tongue against his, falling into the kiss. Her dress -- red satin -- slid against his tailored suit, and her heels made her nearly his height. She played with a lock of hair at his neck, letting him guide the kiss.

He pulled back, shaking his head. "It's gone."

Lois looked at him, brows furrowed and mouth frowned. "What's gone?"

"The spark, Lois. I mean truly. Poof. No more. Checked out. Your eyes are on someone else, totally and completely."

Frustrated, Lois backed away from him and folded her arms. "Bruce, honestly, you broke a perfectly good kiss for that?"

"I'm not going to make out with you in public if the old fun is gone!"

"Bruce!"

The rest of the gala attendees turned and gave them blank looks. Clark's head poked above the crowd, like always, his curious expression exaggerated by his large lenses. They quickly dispersed; Bruce Wayne's date wasn't all that interesting after all.

Which was her problem. When Lois was told she and Clark were expected to attend this Gotham gala, she had called Bruce to be her date deliberately so she could have a good time.

He closed the gap between them and whispered into her ear: "Balcony, now."

Bruce's footsteps fell farther and farther away, paused for the glass door to swing open, and echoed out onto the Wayne Tower balcony. Clark's was the only face still turned on her, though his curiosity had melted to concern. He always had cared a little much.

She waved him off with a shake of her head then hurried after Bruce as quickly as her stilettos were let her. He leaned heavily on the rail, his foot resting on the bottom support bar. "Alfred will be crushed."

"What are you talking about?"

"He always liked you. He's been rooting for us since our first date all those years ago."

Lois chuckled. "Alfred knows we could never pull off a real relationship, Bruce."

"Well, this is true, he said, turning to smile at her before returning his attention to Gotham. "However, it does raise an interesting question." He looked at her again. "Can you pull off a real relationship with him, Lois? The kind of relationship that you shun outwardly but inwardly you crave, almost lust?"

Lois considered it a moment…then punched Bruce Wayne directly in the nose, earning a trip downtown and a chat with an amused Commissioner Gordon.

***

"Yes," she finally answered.

"When was it?" Clark was much closer now, not even a foot behind her.

She decided to turn around and face him. Lois tried to meet her husband's eye, but couldn't quite do it and instead focused on the S. "The same night Bruce told me that I'd fallen completely in love with Superman. Being made aware of it by someone like Bruce made me realize it wasn't healthy; while I was sitting at the station waiting for you to come get me, I made the decision to let go."

Clark closed the rest of the gap and reached down to take her hand. "And when did you fall in love with me?"

***

Lois dropped her last box and watched Clark struggle to do the same. "Well, Smallville, here you are. A brand new, never been lived in, prize-winning reporter worthy condo. How does it feel to finally be a real city man with his own real condo?" Her hair was held back in a messy ponytail-type mass with an elastic to hold it together, wearing rejected pink denim and a floppy plaid shirt something told her she'd stolen from Clark's closet.

Clark, on the other hand, wore paint-splattered jeans, a T-shirt that said _Smallville High Torch Reporter_ -- which Lois thought was blessedly tight -- and a baseball cap sporting the Met U football logo. "So far, Miss Lane, it feels amazing. However, I will point out that I have only paid my down payment, and everything I own is still in a box."

Lois licked her lips and nodded. "And it's going to stay that way just a while longer. First, we turn on the air." She hopped over to the wall and turned the dial to do so. "Second, we eat our pizza." The pizza box and two liter of Pepsi were perched skillfully on a stack of boxes, and she strained to pull them down. Clark just watched, apparently amused.

She got them off, balancing the pizza against her chest, and carried it over to him. Clark had set up two boxes for a table, one each as seats. Lois set the Pepsi down between them and flipped the pizza box open on the makeshift table.

After inhaling his first two slices, Clark opened the soda. "We should probably find glasses or something."

Lois shrugged. "Not like we haven't shared saliva before, Clark."

Clark choked into the Pepsi, but didn't say anything. "And here I thought you were too drunk to remember last night."

Lois smiled at him with her eyes; her mouth was currently consumed by a slice of pizza.

Clark kept his eyes on her as he chugged from the two liter.

Lois reached out and took it from him, holding the gaze as she had her own drink.

The kept up the pattern -- pizza slice, pizza slice, soda chug, soda chug -- until the whole of their unhealthy lunch was consumed, their box-seats strangely closer together than when they'd started. Lois' heart beat uncomfortably against her chest. She was powerless as her legs stood up and positioned her body over Clark's lap.

She also had no control over her hands as they reached up, pulled the cap off, and wore it on her own head backwards; it was much less intrusive that way.

And she definitely didn't have control over her lips as they pressed to his, and as they felt his very deliberately press back.

***

"I was straddling your lap, sitting on a box, in about the same place as the couch." She nodded to it, smiling fondly. "Did we do any unpacking that day?"

"My bedding."

Lois blushed.

Clark's hand left hers and both came up to rub her shoulders. "I could've told you the truth at any point after that, I guess. I'd loved you longer than that, of course, but --" He took a deep breath and sighed. "I was afraid that the moment I told you our love would change, and maybe not for the better."

Lois frowned and looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

"Superman was the person who saved you, Lois. Clark was the buddy who you helped moved into his new place. They were so different that I was afraid when the time came -- today, for example -- you couldn't reconcile us as the same person."

"Oh, sweetheart, was that what you were so worried about?" She closed her eyes and reached up to touch his cheeks, her anger seeping away. "You honestly thought I couldn't reconcile both sides of you? Couldn't believe you were the same person?"

"Well…"

Lois smiled. "Clark, you two are so similar. My guess is most people wouldn't have a chance of seeing it, but I've loved you both. Superman came along and saved the damsel in distress, but that's all he was. The knight in shining armor…" Lois dragged a hand down to trace her fingers over the S.

"Okay…" Clark murmured, watching her.

"_You_ came along and made me understand what Bruce alluded to concerning the kind of relationship I wanted. I wasn't ready for Green Acres or anything, but I wanted to be a wife, with a husband who loved me and wanted me. You, Clark Kent, saved me from years worth of cynicism and coldness. You both served the same purpose in my life."

Clark looked at her warily, and she could see that he was ready to jump back should she decide to strike. He cleared his throat. "So that's really and nice mushy, sweetheart, but what about you being angry with me? I thought I was supposed to be proving that I had a good reason to do what I did."

"You are, but it's obvious you don't."

"I --"

"You don't."

"No, I don't."

Lois grinned.

Clark blinked. "So am I off the hook?"

"No! You're still sleeping on the couch, Mr. Kent." She reached down and fingered her rings. "The point is you lied to me. A pretty big lie."

He frowned and looked away. "I know I did."

"However…"

"Yes?"

"If we count up the number of lies I've told you, I think we'd probably find it's a bigger collection than your one really big one."

"I would agree with that."

"You didn't have to," Lois pouted, but Clark smiled at her. "Three nights of you on the couch should be enough. I'll want to cuddle with you again in three days."

Clark looked up and frowned. "But Lois --"

"Don't 'but Lois' me!"

"But it's Valentine's Day, remember?"

Lois considered it for a moment, her eyes returning to the rings. "Your punishment begins tomorrow."


End file.
